So I’ve made quite a bit of progress in my wardrobe improvement in the past few days! I bought some offbrand things, finished some sewing, and got a Bodyline order in! Things are really coming together, and I’ve been feeling more excited to wear lolita, which is great! Today I’m just going to share the offbrand and sewing things, and I’ll get a Bodyline review up in the next few days!

So the first thing that came in the mail was a blouse! I didn’t really think any of the cream blouses from Bodyline would suit my classic wardrobe, and I’m trying to be careful about budgeting, so I went hunting at regular sites. I managed to find this gem for like $10 on Ebay! It’s an older Forever 21 blouse in perfect condition, fits great and is super comfortable!

A couple of belts! I’d been wanting a few and Sam was ordering some stuff from Amazon so I scoured their belt section for some things I liked. These were really cheap, like maybe $15 total with shipping? I think they’ll look nice with my classic things.

Probably the most exciting thing in this post, the rainbow skirt is done! I deviated from my initial gathered idea for something a little more sweet for trim. I also did my first half-elastic waistband using this tutorial. It was pretty easy and it comes out looking sooo nice! Plus it’s super comfy. I really happy with it, and I got lots of compliments when I wore it out yesterday!

I also bought/made some hair stuff recently. The little rose clips and cream and mint bows are from Claires and the little rainbow ones I made. I was running really low on the rainbow fabric by the time I was done with the skirt, so these were about all I could squeeze out of the scraps. I might go back and get a little more for a bigger bow or something, but I’m pretty happy with these for right now.

Whew, that’s quite a lot! I’m hoping to get started on one of the other skirts today, not sure which one yet.

So here’s the first steps of my wardrobe improvement: craft shopping! I went to Joanns and Hobby Lobby armed with coupons and a very weak will when it comes to sale prices, apparently. So I definitely wanted a white skirt and lavender skirt, and I ended up with the supplies to make 3 skirts instead! Thankfully there were quite a few sales going on so I didn’t spend a crazy amount. Here are the designs I’m planning on:

I’ll probably add a ruffle to the bottom of the lavender skirt, and the weirdly drawn section at the bottom of the rainbow skirt is supposed to be a gathered section like these.

Pretty fabric! That’s white, lavender, and of course rainbow! When I saw it I couldn’t resist. Plus, the idea behind this wardrobe makeover is added versatility, and what could be more versatile than fabric with ALL THE COLORS?

It’s a bit hard to see in the last photo, so I took a close-up of the lavender. Yup, those are sparkles.

Picked up some lace! Top lace will be for the white skirt, I’ll be (attempting) to dye the middle lace lavender to go with the lavender skirt, and the bottom will be used for the rainbow skirt if I feel like I need it.

This also made it’s way into my basket at Hobby Lobby. It matches my lavender fabric perfectly, and it was on sale! So maybe I’ll make some accessories to match? A detachable collar or a beret or something, not sure yet.

So anyway! I’ve got a day off tomorrow so I’m hoping to start work on things then!

I’ve been thinking about doing some wardrobe improvement lately. I’ve had a bad habit for a long time of buying things I like and want (or I get a really good deal on) instead of having a definite idea of what I want for my wardrobe and what would really be useful as far as making coordinates. So I’m trying to be better about that, and here is roughly what I’m hoping to do:

Making:

Finish altering Bodyline jsk- I started altering a Bodyline jsk to better suit my needs a while ago, and I really don’t have too much left to do I’ve just been putting it off!

Black hairbow- I’m in desperate need for something simple and more on the sweet side to go with black outfits.

Cream headpiece (headdress?)– I don’t have much in the way of cream for headwear either, not sure what I want yet.

Trim white sheer socks– I got some lace knee socks last summer and never really wore them, but I think a little lace trim on the top old school style would help that.

Madoka necklace– I got a soul gem phone charm at Animazement in the hopes of turning it into a necklace and I just really need to do that!

Something with Totoro charms– Sam bought me some cuuute little Totoro charms and I’d like to make some jewelry with them as well, not sure what yet though.

Small Repairs– Just a couple of odds and ends to fix up. Nothing huge, just a little hot glue here, a couple stitches there, but I want to make sure to keep my wardrobe in nice condition!

Buying:

White Shoes– One day, I will own white shoes again! One day~

Cream shoes– Between cream and brown I think I’m leaning towards cream, at the very least I might be able to find some cheaper brown mary janes come fall whereas cream shoes seem impossible to find in normal stores.

Belts! I really like the look of belts, but I only own a few. A couple more would be a nice addition to my wardrobe and an inexpensive one at that!

Shrugs- It’s hot out, so a couple nice short sleeved shrugs would be great for wearing with dresses or over shirts with skirts. I could also probably make these, but they’re pretty easy and cheap to find, so I’d rather focus on other things.

Blouses- I just need a couple of basic blouses, probably black and maybe cream? Simple stuff that I’m just really lacking.

Buying or Making:

Lavender Skirt or JSK– I love lavender, and I own a lot of lavender accessories, but no actual lavender clothing! I think a skirt would be nice and versatile.

White Skirt- As much as I love wearing casual lolita, I am seriously lacking in plain skirts! A white one would be really versatile for me.

Cutsews– Again, just easy casual stuff especially for summertime.

Fun Stuff: (aka the stuff I don’t really need to make my wardrobe better, but would like some anyway!)

Wristcuffs- I totally don’t own any! I feel like an improper lolita.

Printed Tights– I feel like these would jazz up some of the simpler pieces I’m adding to my wardrobe.

Brooches- I have a lot of scraps and trim and things sitting around, I think brooches would be a nice use for some of that!

Hair Accessories- I know I’ve totally already talked about hair stuff, but there are a couple of pieces in particular I’d like to have specific matching hair things for.

I’ll probably do a couple of haul-type posts and some sewing and jewelry making as well to keep you guys updated on my process! I’m pretty excited about it.

So in the process of moving-in, and wearing lolita more often (I spent a lot of my summer around the house in lounge-y clothes) I’ve realized that there are some holes in my wardrobe! So I thought I would discuss some wardrobe filling.

Assess what you have. Before buying something, especially if you wear or are hoping to wear lolita very frequently, it’s important to go through your existing wardrobe first.Try not to buy items that are too similar. If you already have a black dress with pink flowers on it, you probably don’t need another one. Of course, buying things in the same color can help with ease in coordinating, so if you have one mint dress, buying another mint dress with a print on it can be very useful.Get rid of things you don’t wear. Whether it’s at a swap meet, on EGL Comm Sales, on E-bay, whatever! If it’s a piece you have a lot of attachment to, obviously keep it, but if it’s just something you plain don’t wear for whatever reason, sell it! That means more money for new, more useful clothes!

So this is what I’d like currently! Not these items in particular, but things like these items.Skirts I made a couple over the summer, but I didn’t have time for as many as I would like. I’d like at least one brand skirt, and preferably a brand that I don’t own already, like Angelic Pretty or Emily Temple Cute. Baby and Meta get too much love in my closet.Shoes I have good basic shoes, but I’d like a little more range in my coordinates, and I think that a greater variety of shoe color could really help that! Ideally, red and brown are on the top of my wishlist, but I’d love some bright pink or yellow shoes at some point as well.Plain Colors Oh man, I am so bad at this. I always want prints. It’s not necessarily that I don’t like plain-colored dresses, it’s just that the prints are all so beautiful and intricate that I get drawn in to buying them every time. I’d love a plain mint, pink, or light blue dress.